CASE STUDY 2:
Information Architecture
Higher Education can be a challenge of balancing streamlined processes with instructor academic freedom. The UA-PTC Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) Standardized Course Template was created as a response to listening to users' pain points regarding the lack of structure. My current role, as Curriculum, Assessment and Technology Specialist, is to act as the first line of defense for users' challenge, concerns, and requests in addition to providing instructional design recommendations. My task for this initiative was to lead the initiative, conduct research, restructure navigation, present the redesign to stakeholders, iterate based on recommendations, test the design, launch and conduct end-user training. The team for this project included myself, the LMS Administrator, and a team of 20 faculty and staff.
| SKILLS |
Information Architecture, UX Design, UX Writing, User Research, Interviewing, Needfinding, Prototyping, Testing, End-User training
|SCOPE OF WORK|
This project required researching, designing and testing of various navigation structures to find the best balance of student needs, faculty requests, and institutional requirements. My role was as the team lead, content designer, implementer and manager of the template.
| STRATEGY |
I started my needfinding by conducting research interviews and an issue tracking system analysis. The aggregate results indicated pain points: tasks users found challenging and tools users had trouble locating. With these findings, I was able to draft a minimum viable structure based on chronological scaffolding of a college semester. A small summer cohort of faculty agreed to beta test the navigation with live courses. Findings from this testing resulted in the next iteration of the navigation to be launched in the Fall. The approved navigation launched in the Fall semester with accompanying documentation and instructional tutorials for users. A successful Fall and Spring school-year rendered results of 70% reduction in user complaints regarding course structure.
Information Architecture, UX Design, UX Writing, User Research, Interviewing, Needfinding, Prototyping, Testing, End-User training
|SCOPE OF WORK|
This project required researching, designing and testing of various navigation structures to find the best balance of student needs, faculty requests, and institutional requirements. My role was as the team lead, content designer, implementer and manager of the template.
| STRATEGY |
I started my needfinding by conducting research interviews and an issue tracking system analysis. The aggregate results indicated pain points: tasks users found challenging and tools users had trouble locating. With these findings, I was able to draft a minimum viable structure based on chronological scaffolding of a college semester. A small summer cohort of faculty agreed to beta test the navigation with live courses. Findings from this testing resulted in the next iteration of the navigation to be launched in the Fall. The approved navigation launched in the Fall semester with accompanying documentation and instructional tutorials for users. A successful Fall and Spring school-year rendered results of 70% reduction in user complaints regarding course structure.
| WHY SHOULD YOU CARE |
On this project, I lead a team of 20+ individuals over a course of several months for an initiative that proved to be a successful information architecture rehaul for a user base of 6,000+ individuals. I am responsible for iterations to the design and user support.
On this project, I lead a team of 20+ individuals over a course of several months for an initiative that proved to be a successful information architecture rehaul for a user base of 6,000+ individuals. I am responsible for iterations to the design and user support.